It was reported that the reserve troop capacity of the Israeli army, which continues its occupation of the Gaza Strip and the south of Lebanon, has been severely hit and is on the verge of collapse.
Speaking to Israeli Army Radio, reserve soldiers and commanders who participated in the attacks in southern Lebanon underlined that the Israeli army's brigades and battalions were empty and the announced number of soldiers on duty did not reflect the reality on the field.
In the news, it was stated that the testimonies of Israeli soldiers and commanders in the south of Lebanon regarding the current situation of the army are far from the picture drawn by political and military decision-makers.
The news stated that many Israeli tanks were completely destroyed or damaged in the south of Lebanon, and that there were not enough armored vehicles and that the number of soldiers called for duty was kept low due to the situation in question.
Israeli army participation rate does not reflect reality on the ground
It was stated that the Israeli Army Command Level kept the participation rates in the army high on paper by calling fewer soldiers than needed.
It was emphasized that a significant part of the military personnel, who appear to be on "active duty" in official records, could not stay in the field for a long time due to burnout and personal problems caused by the attacks, which further deepened the power deficit in the troops.
Emphasizing that the reserve units are "empty", an Israeli commander said, "There is no full battalion or a real company. The public and decision-makers hear talk of fully-capable brigades in Lebanon, but there is a much smaller military force on the ground. Far fewer soldiers, far fewer tanks and armored vehicles." he said.
Speaking to Army Radio, the Israeli commander continued his words as follows:
"Some parts of the reserve military system are practically at the point of collapse. There are units that are better or worse off, everyone is doing the best they can, but it is very difficult to continue like this."
It was pointed out that the losses experienced during the attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and the lack of qualified personnel also made the chain of command in the Israeli army dysfunctional.
In the news, it was stated that in the reserve company in the south of Lebanon, there was only one active officer left in the entire company due to the dismissal of the commander and the absence of assistant commanders.
The news noted that unranked soldiers had to be appointed to command the company, and that the company was managed far from military professionalism.
It was revealed that the elite commando teams, which participated in the attacks that Israel has been carrying out for months and who had just completed their compulsory military service and joined the reserve units within the 551st Brigade, appealed to their commanders and refused to serve.
It was stated that young soldiers, who suffered from psychological and physical difficulties as well as disruptions in their university education, were removed from the personnel list one by one with the approval of their commanders.